Many students at Wilsonville High have a passion for music– but some go the extra mile. A select few students at WVHS use their free time to compose their own music. From hobby musicians to experienced artists with multiple albums under their belt, Wilsonville High School is no stranger to the musically gifted.

Preston Rusher is a senior at Wilsonville, and he’s been composing beats for a few years now. He got his start by making diss tracks on his friends, and from there he found his passion in the studio. He still makes hip-hop/rap beats, some of which have ended up in songs he makes with his friends. Preston says that making beats is “exhilarating and exciting” and that his favorite part of the creative process is listening to the finished product. The artists who influenced him the most are 21 Savage, Future, and Playboi Carti.

Cameron Azizi, Preston’s friend, also makes music collaborating with Preston frequently, usually providing the vocals on top of Rusher’s production. Cameron, a senior, is an avid music enjoyer and the love of the medium encouraged him to take a stab at making music. Together, the two continue to express themselves through a collection of diss tracks on their mutual friends.

This wave of aspiring music makers is nothing new to WVHS, in the past many influential artists have walked through these halls. Rowan Bush, a former wildcat and proud alumni, has made his way into the music industry. Rowan goes by the stage name Lil Lil PP and has released 4 albums, a couple of EPs, and a handful of singles. Mr. Bush traces back his origins as Lil Lil PP when a girl told him that she “Would never date him because he wasn’t the best rapper in the WL/WV school district.”

From there, Rowan released a couple of singles on Soundcloud, culminating in the release of I Can’t Get Abs, his first LP. Though he began his career to win over a girl, what he really fell in love with was the music-making process. “I realized there’s more to life than the approval of others,” Rowan told me “The process of creating an album is sacred to me. Each album represents a stage of my life.” The inspirations behind Lil Lil PP according to Rowan are “Kanye West, Andy Samberg, my mother, Chief Keef, and the movie Superbad.” His favorite song of his is I Am So So Sexy off of I Can’t Get Abs 2.